''Prunus sargentii'', commonly known as Sargent's cherry or North Japanese hill cherry, is a species of

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

native to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...

(

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

). The tree was named for

Charles Sprague Sargent Charles Sprague Sargent (April 24, 1841 – March 22, 1927) was an American botanist. He was appointed in 1872 as the first director of Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, and held the post until his death. He pub ...

Description

''Prunus sargentii'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree that grows tall and broad. New growth is a reddish or bronze color, changing to shiny dark green. The

obovate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

leaves with serrated margins are in length and are arranged alternately. In fall, the leaves turn red, orange, or yellow. It grows single pink flowers on 1-in pedicels, which result in purple-black fruit in summer. The fruits are a favorite of birds, but because of their size (small, pea sized) and color, are considered inconspicuous to humans.

Cultivation

''P. sargentii'' is a fast-growing ornamental tree requiring sun and well-drained soil. The tree can tolerate wind, but not air pollution; it is one of the hardiest cherries, and can be easily transplanted. This makes it suitable for use as a street tree. The tree is moderately drought-tolerant.

History

Native to Korea and Japan, the tree was introduced to America and then the United Kingdom in 1908.

Gallery

File:Prunus sargentii buds.jpg, Buds File:Prunus sargentii flowers.jpg, Flowers File:Prunus sargentii flower detail.png, Flower detail File:Prunus sargentii AA.jpg, ''Prunus sargentii'', 1928 accession (#794-28*B) Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University File:Prunus sargentii (Sargent Cherry) (33862592232).jpg, Flowers

References

* Common Trees of Hokkaido,

Hokkaido University , or , is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was the fifth Imperial University in Japan, which were established to be the nation's finest institutions of higher education or research. Hokkaido University is considered ...

Press,

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, 1992, C0045 P2472E

External links

*
''Prunus sargentii'' images at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Plant Image Database

"Cherry: ''Prunus'' ssp. - April Tree of the Month."
''Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University website'', 2015. Accessed 1 May 2020. {{Taxonbar , from1=Q163039, from2=Q26266371, from3=Q59622000 Cherry blossom sargentii Flora of Japan Trees of Korea Flora of Primorsky Krai Flora of Sakhalin Ornamental trees